


The Order

by Elbie



Category: Gloomverse (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-29
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:35:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22956499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elbie/pseuds/Elbie
Summary: What would (or rather will) happen once Virga find Rylie ? Who will defend her ?This fan fiction is an exploration of that...
Comments: 12
Kudos: 12





	1. A breathtaking start

**Author's Note:**

> I think I can call this my first real fan fiction ? This is all very new to me, and a bit of an experiment....  
> I hope you will enjoy it ^^

_Majestic._

That was the first word that came to Rylie’s mind when she saw the giant Stratoversian woman approach her group. She was dressed in a white suit with short sleeves and six blue buttons. A blade-like pendant was suspended from her neck by a blue pin, and she noticed that while her hands and feet were covered, you could still see the fingers and toes. Golden decorations were attached to the sides, too, and two wings made in a gold-like fabric swished behind her back. Her face was framed by golden pendants shaped like smaller wings and a headband with three spikes on top, and in place of her hair, a massive white cloud covered her head, floating grimly behind her like a brooding storm.

A sun was painted on her forehead, although it was deformed by her severe expression. She looked... sharp. The golden decorations danced ominously in the day like a dozen lightning bolts.

The sun seemed duller in her presence. She seemed to radiate on her own, yet her face was somber like a storm.

She cast a shadow over Rylie when she came closer to the ground. Queen Virga. The assistant caught those words from her friends, even though she was too awestruck to pay much attention to their conversation. Queen Virga… The Queen of Stratoverse… The most powerful magician in the world… Rylie was trying to remember what she knew of this important figure. But her mind drew a blank, as that kind of information was uncommon in Gloomverse. She certainly was intimidating. Rylie couldn’t look away. She was paralyzed, like a prey caught by a predator.

The Queen seemed to be coming towards her. Did she have an interest in her ? But what kind of interest ?

Virga assessed the assistant before landing feet flat on the ground. Rylie had learned from Nim and Cirrus that Stratoversians typically avoid touching the ground, so this gesture came as a surprise.

She was incredibly tall, even without flying. Imposing. Rylie felt small in comparison. So small, so vulnerable… Rylie felt her friends’ worried gazes behind her back, and her throat suddenly tightened in fear.

She didn’t even have the time to let out a scream.

Virga’s hand was already firmly grasping her neck. She let go of her crutches in her surprise, her breath cut short. Her friends’ exclamations almost covered the loud ‘clank’, but this didn’t seem to bother the queen, and just like that she lifted the assistant off the ground. Up to her own eye level.

Rylie struggled against her grip, hands reaching for her throat. She tried to pull and scratch and claw at the clasped hand. Her legs were thrashing around, and her hat fell to the ground in the tussle, but it was no use. She couldn’t breathe anymore, and her forces were rapidly dwindling. She was choking, drowning, and the world faded into darkness as she succumbed to panic, her senses slowly shutting down. Memories came to her, present and past blended together. She was falling, she was cold, she couldn’t breathe, she was hurt. But this time the stars felt so distant.

Her dark eyes finally met the cold blues of her captor, and a wave of despair washed over her as she realized she had no hope of getting away. Resisting would only worsen her situation. She choked up, her face wet with tears as it started to slowly change colors.

That couldn’t be it, could it? She had found a home, a family, friends, and she was going to lose them all so soon? Life has always been unfair to Rylie, and this was the final blow. She closed her eyes.

A lightning bolt boomed next to her.

There was a flash and a bang. The smell of burnt hair and flesh blasted her nose, and a ringing noise whistled in her ears.

She was... still alive ! Adrenaline finally kicked in, and suddenly Rylie felt more awake than ever. She was ready to fiercely fight back. The hand that held her captive even loosened its grip, and she was able to take a deep, quivering breath as she opened her eyes.

The strike had not been aimed at her, but at Virga. It had singed some of Rylie’s dreadlocks, but most notably it had wounded the Stratoversian queen. Her glove was partially burnt away, and a red scorched mark covered most of her forearm.

She turned calmly towards her assailant, no longer focused on Rylie. There stood Nim, her hand extended as if to guide the lightning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading ! I hope you enjoyed and if so, there are more to come !
> 
> Thank you to Nualie for beta-reading this fanfic :D


	2. Of regrets and convictions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit of dialogue to build up a showdown :)

Nim hadn’t even had the time to fully recover from their time at sea. Her short blonde hair was messy, some locks sticking to her forehead as she didn’t even summon her cloud hair. She was trembling, eyes wide, visibly shocked by her own action. Virga looked surprised as well, and Rylie saw it as an opportunity. While the two royals would face each other, she would pry herself free, and get away, as far as possible. 

She trashed around once more, but this time she succeeded. The queen appeared too astonished by this betrayal to pay much attention to her. 

Rylie was finally on the ground. She slowly brought a hand to her neck. It hurt like hell, even with the adrenaline, and breathing was hard and painful. The assistant scrambled to get up, and she was quickly helped by her friends, who had rushed to her now that the situation had partially calmed down. She couldn’t see their faces clearly, nor hear their voices completely, but she could feel their gentle grip on her as they took her away. Maybe the lightning and the thunder had impaired her ? Or maybe she was about to fall unconscious. 

Nim and Virga were staring each other down. Tension was high, and electricity shook the air. 

“You dare attack your queen ? I would have expected that from Cirrus, but not from you.” 

The queen’s voice was deep and sharp, resentful yet disappointed. 

“I… You… I couldn’t l..let you hurt my friend !” The princess was trying to hold herself together, but her voice was faltering. Everything felt so unreal, but reality was slowly sinking in— there would be a price to pay for her action, and she would not be ready. “Why would you even…?” Nim couldn’t finish her sentence.

“I am following direct orders from the Sun herself, and I would advise you to not make things more difficult than they have to be.” Virga’s gaze turned to sympathy. “I am willing to overlook your… outburst… if you remain in your place. I can make this quick. She won’t have the time to feel anything.”

Nim’s eyes widened. The Sun? The Sun ordered the murder of her friend. She couldn’t believe it, and yet, the truth of Virga’s words was undeniable. 

No no no nO NO NO ! How could it come to this ? It was an impossible decision. There was no third option possible, no neutral stance, no middle ground. A choice. Her country, her leader, her status, her upbringing, her beliefs, her freedom even ! Or the life of her friend. 

No. How could she call this a choice ? She was a disappointment for even considering letting ...this… happen to her friend… to anyone ! Still, her resolve was frail. She was in no condition to confront Virga, and the queen could tell. She would have to buy them enough time to let Rylie escape. She could be a distraction, an obstacle even ! But only temporarily. Would it even be worth it ? Her world was being torn apart. She was already past the point of no return, so she might as well do the right thing. 

“I… No. This is wrong. This is unfair.” Her voice started softly, then hardened with conviction. She clenched her fists, furrowed her brows, and looked at her Queen’s cold eyes. 

“I won’t obey such an order.”

“ _Do you realize what you’re saying, Nim ?_ ” Virga’s face seemed paler. “By going against the Sun’s will, you are dooming yourself. You are out of your mind! You don’t even realize the scale… the impact of what you—”

“I don’t care ! I don’t want to know ! Nothing will justify murdering an innocent !” the princess shouted, interrupting her leader. “I won’t stand by idly.”

“Fine. You made your choice.” Virga’s voice sounded deadly.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At last, Rylie is safe... and Nim is in trouble.
> 
> Writing dialogue is not my forte, so I hope you still enjoyed this part !
> 
> Thanks again to Nualie for beta reading :D


	3. Don't forget, I'm with you in the dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Less dialogue, some action and ✧･ﾟ:* friendship *:･ﾟ✧

This was inconvenient.

Virga’s order was clear. She was to dispose of her target as quickly as possible, yet she stalled. She wanted to be sure it was her. She had expected some resistance from eventual companions, but she never would have thought that one of her own would be in her presence, even less that they would turn on her! 

It was supposed to be quick, efficient, _almost_ painless. And now she’d have to fight to get to her ? Those people really were bothersome. Three of their group were getting away with her mark, while the treacherous princess was facing her. Nim didn’t appear to be in shape, that one thunderbolt took a lot from her. Virga could tell that she was already exhausted. There was no point in fighting her when it was clear to the both of them who would win, she didn’t need senseless violence and wasted time on top of it all. She would just come back to her later. The mission was her priority right now. 

Nim faced down her queen, holding her ground. She had been on guard since the beginning of the confrontation, but the deadly tone of Virga’s voice shook her up, and she was as tense as the cord of a bow, ready to move, ready to strike. The tension, the anticipation, it was _agonizing_. Her forehead was wet with sweat, her golden hair sticking to it. What was she going to do? 

“I’ll deal with you later”

It took her by surprise. The magician said it so dismissively, like an insult. She wasn’t even worthy of a fight. She diverted from her, turning her foot and shifting her weight while her wings followed in the momentum. She was about to fly off. no No NO ! Nim had to do something ! She couldn’t let her approach Rylie ! Restrain her ? She had no capacities like that. Strike her again ? She would be expecting it, and the queen would strike right back at her while she would be too drained to move. Still, she had to do something !

All of a sudden, Virga lost her balance, almost falling backwards as if an invisible force was pulling her from behind. Her face was a mix of confusion, indignation and rage, while Nim was completely aghast. Did a god play in her favour ? Was it a new ally ? She felt a presence behind her back, and quickly turned her head. Seaweed was standing close to her, the usual grin on her face had completely disappeared. The princess had forgotten about her, and all the others if she was being honest. The water magician looked at Nim, her usually vibrant green eyes seemed as somber as the deepest abysses of the ocean.

“C’mon, Nim. Let’s get this bitch.” 

Her voice was as snappy as ever, but it wasn’t playful. It was ruthless. Bitter.

Wallis was standing right next to her, he seemed furious, yet he was focused on something, a hand in his hat as he made great effort to pull something out of it. Could it be him who…? She catched a glint of gold inside the headpiece. He was pulling her golden wings through his hat ? His magic truly was impressive. But now was not the time for wonder. 

Nim reevaluated her situation. She wouldn’t be fighting alone like she previously thought, but the odds were still against them. Harold and Cirrus had decided to stay at the hotel, and she remembered seeing Purple, Hobo and Petunia helping Rylie get away. Evets, however, was nowhere to be seen. That left Wallis, Seaweed and her to face a Titan. Two powerful magicians, but perhaps not enough. They struggled against Cakegirl afterall, and Virga was definitely a whole other level. Meanwhile, she was diminished and weakened. They would need a battle plan. 

Wallis’ powers had shown versatility, and he was rather ingenious at using them. Seaweed had the raw strength of the ocean with her, as they were close enough to the shore. Water was known as a conductor for electricity, they could use this to their advantages, but they still would have to be careful using such a tactic against a thunder queen. 

Purple had no fighting abilities, and Hobo and Evets didn’t even have magic, so their absence wasn’t a great loss. However, Petunia and Cirrus would have been a great help for this fight. 

There had been some civilians on the street, but they more or less all fled after the first thunderstrike, which was very good. They won’t have to worry about accidental casualties.

Their best bet was to immobilize the Stratoversian queen, or at least restrain her hands and arms. Without them, she wouldn’t be able to perform magic. But Virga was as physically strong as she was magically, and it would be quite difficult to tie her up… 

The princess voiced quietly the outline of a plan to her allies.

The time was up : Virga tore off her winged cape and was free once again.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's the chapter I like to call : oh right those chumps are there too.
> 
> This is the last build up chapter, the next one will have *:･ﾟ✧actions*:･ﾟ✧ but I needed to establish some stuff ^^
> 
> Thanks again to Nualie for rereading :)


	4. Not a threat ?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fight has started ! Magic is in the air ~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized it's been almost a month since the last update ! But I wanted this part to be "right". I hope you'll like it ^^

What an annoyingly futile resistance, she thought as she threw her cape on the ground. What did they even expect to happen ? Virga was the most powerful magician on the face of the world. Those three were just a minor setback, nothing she couldn’t wipe off in a couple of minutes, seconds even. Perhaps she should have disposed of them earlier, but the political repercussion of this action would have been rather disastrous. Well it couldn’t be avoided now, could it ? 

She gauged the three of them. A disgraced princess, an ecoversian and an entertainer. 

They were no threat. 

She caught Nim whispering to her new allies. Were they scheming a plan of attack ? She smirked, amused at their determination. It didn’t matter, she would win before they could even get to step one. She waved her hand, and clouds started forming rapidly all around her. They were not gentle white clouds, they were dark omens of death, buzzing with electricity. 

She paused for a brief moment.

This was a tricky situation. She wouldn’t be able to just scares them off. She would need to fight them, to hurt them enough that they finally realise how outmatched they were. Or she could incapacitate them, knock them down, but this was a risky gamble. If she wasn’t careful with her power, she could send them straight to their next life. Killing needed to be a last resort, as she would rather not go that far. The smell of burnt flesh always turned her stomach. 

But Nim _renounced the Sun_. If she was willing to sacrifice that much, to go against her queen, there was no telling how far she would go, and what Virga would have to do to stop her. 

But that didn’t matter, not in that moment. Planning was ludicrous in a situation like this. She would have to wait and see, to test their limits and powers, and act accordingly. For the time being, she resumed her action.

With a cold, heartless face, Virga motioned her wrist toward the clouds. They reacted immediately, gleaming from inside. Hundreds of lightning bolts blared from the clouds, like hundreds of bullets from a machine gun. The flashing lights blinded her slightly, casting a monstrous shadow in her back. It was an impressive show of strength. 

She stopped the fire. That should be enough.

A thick, heavy fog covered the battle ground. The scorch of lightning must have vaporized any water on the ground. With a swift movement of the wrist, Virga parted the mist, but something was off.

She had expected Nim to protect the other two from her attack, and was surprised to find in her stead a wall of water, behind which she could discern two silhouettes. A water magician… This was bound to make things inte — wait, two ? Where was the third ? She sensed something above her, and she quickly lifted her head. There was a figure concealed by the fog up ahead in the sky, seemingly flying. Nim ?

Before she could react much more, the shape yelled something along the line of “Surprise Bitch !”. A wand was thrust down in her direction as a faint rainbow glow surrounded her. She tried to retaliate, but as she moved her right arm, she felt a weight on her shoulders, on her whole body. She fought against it, and finished her gesture, but the aim was off and the bolt missed its target. A yelp echoed in the sky, and, presumably as payback, the weight suddenly increased. She was strong, but this felt like being crushed by the ocean. Her legs were starting to tremble.

“Ah ! You think this will hold me down ? You insult me.” Her voice was shaking just a little. She gathered herself, concentrating her forces. Electricity trickled around her.

As soon as she saw that Wallis’ power had taken effect, Seaweed dropped the water wall, letting it flood the ground. Tendrils of water rose from its remains, threateningly floating around the battlefield. With an unusual stiff face, Seaweed swatted the air with the jellyfish wand. Imitating her gesture, the threads of water vigorously whipped across Virga’s face and body. She was certainly preparing a riposte, and Seaweed wouldn’t. let. her.

The queen covered her face with her right arm, the golden plate in front. The left one was still aching from Nim’s attack, so she kept it tucked away from the stings of the whips.The repeated assaults left faint red trails on her skin and a burning sensation. She couldn’t move much either, falling victim to her own imposing stature as her chest raised with difficulty. What was even more painful however, was admitting that she underestimated her foes. This was… an unpleasant situation. But nothing she couldn’t whistand. She would reverse this situation soon enough.

Nim felt the shift in the surrounding air. Virga was about to launch her attack.

“COVER !” She shot to Seaweed, hoping Wallis would hear her too.

Virga released the forces she had been accumulating. It was like an explosion. Lightning crackled as a wave of power unfurled in all directions at once. And as the elements unleashed their fury, there she stood, undisturbed in the eye of the storm.

The front of water the ecoversian hastily raised was not enough to withstand the force of the blow. It even started to come apart, becoming dangerous for Nim and Seaweed as chunks of water were strung along, hitting and whipping them. Seaweed changed strategy. With a nod to Nim, she dropped the water wall while her ally diverted the storm. She took advantage of the situation to retaliate by redirecting some of the lightning bolts, and managed to hit the queen without exhausting herself. Wallis’ magic was doing a really good job at holding her down.

But perhaps she spoke too fast.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Place your bets :9
> 
> Hopefully the next chapter will be out sooner than this one.
> 
> Thanks to Nualie for proof reading !


	5. A word for Sad and Mad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wallis is smad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeeey long time no see! It's been almost a year since I posted the first chapters, and... 10 months since the last update.... oops   
> Also I had this chapter written out for a while now so I have no excuse as to why I didnt update :v   
> sooorrrrry
> 
> The comic has sadly progressed past this point so this fanfic is officially into Alternate Universe Territory!

The last time a member of his family was hurt, Wallis lost control. Rage blinded him, and he made things  _ worse _ . He disappeared, leaving them all behind, when he should have been here to help, to protect them.

And it happened again. 

He froze up, and he didn’t do anything.  _ He watched her choke _ , and he let it happen. He said  _ never again _ and it was a lie. If it wasn’t for Nim… 

She had a battle plan, apparently. Restrain the queen. Pretty sparse, for a battle plan, but Wallis could make it work. 

When Seaweed erected her wall, he took off in the sky, hidden by the mist, and perched himself on a cloud of his own making. Up there, he would have a better vantage point, as well as some surprise over his adversary.  _ Expect the unexpected _ , like he told his Assistant.

…

Rylie…

Rylie was safe. She was with mom and Purple, and the hobo too ? She was fine, she would be fine. 

Not the time. Focus.

Virga stopped her attack, looking confident. And Wallis redirected his thoughts, his anger toward  _ her _ .  _ Oh, she really thinks she’s that strong, uh ? That she can just wipe all his friends in a snap of her fingers ? Well he was going to knock her off her pedestal. He was going to make her regret her birth. _

He was really riled up now. Angry, but still in control. 

Virga had noticed something was up, and looked up in his direction. Fuck. Now his trick wouldn’t be as surprising, but he sure as hell would make the most of it. And before she could react, he gestured with his wand. Space distorted around the queen and the gravity increased as a faint rainbow glow surrounded her.

**“SURPRISE BITCH !”**

He couldn’t help himself. How satisfying. 

And he yelled again, this time in fear, as a lightning bolt shooted next to him. It scared him so much that he almost jumped out of his cloud. His body trembled uncontrollably. He had always been afraid of storms. Heart racing, eyes wide, the grip on his wand grew stronger and his eyebrows furrowed. He calmed himself : he was fine, he was in control, he had nothing to fear. The only casualty was his hairstyle, which has been completely ruined by the ambient static electricity. 

The BITCH. Time for payback. 

He increased the strength of his “gravity field” and watched the queen stumble to maintain balance. Guess he was still going too easy on her. Wallis couldn’t really gauge his force, since he would usually use this power to float, not to crush. No matter, he was going to  _ wreck _ her, to smash her on the ground like a fly. 

Ah ! She was already curling up. The all so powerful queen defeated by gravity. Would that make him the new queen ? 

Seaweed was really going at her, too. With their combined effort, she would not be able to last much longer. 

He heard Nim yell. Didn’t hear what. 

Oh no.

What an idiot. What an overly confident idiot he was being. Of course that wasn’t the end. And now he was falling, the blow had pushed him off the magical cloud. It’s not like he couldn’t just magic up a new one - which he did, because falling face first on the ground wasn’t something he planned to do - but now he had lost his focus on Virga, which means she probably was free to move once again. She was free to attack his friends.

Or him. 

The thought didn’t occur immediately, but when another bolt missed him, Wallis realised the queen would want to take him out first. And what an easy, defenseless target he had made himself ! Maybe separating the party  _ wasn’t _ the best idea. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be coming soon, hopefully. Probably one about Virga, unless I decide to throw the intermission here.


End file.
